As they prepare for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup, England have been offered a mid-season Test against Papua New Guinea.
Having not been able to fit a warm-up game of any description in the calendar ahead of this autumn’s Ashes Series against Australia, which they lost 3-0, England currently have no fixture booked in ahead of next year’s World Cup.
Fitting a game in the calendar would appear even more difficult now, with Super League expanding to 14 teams in 2026, meaning more games to be squeezed in already.
But should England wish to take up the offer of a mid-season Test, it now wouldn’t have to come against France, with PNG head coach Jason Demetriou proposing a clash.
Papua New Guinea offer England mid-season Test as coach backs idea
Kumuls boss Demetriou will also be London’s head coach in 2026, with the Broncos set to be the heavy favourites to win the Championship following a takeover by a consortium including NRL icon Darren Lockyer.
Demetriou has already set about putting a PNG influence on his London side, with a number of Kumuls internationals recruited in the capital for the 2026 Championship season including Morea Morea and Jeremiah Simbiken.
And with plenty of his national side already plying their trade in the UK, including no fewer than four with Super League outfit Leigh Leopards, it would appear a viable option for them to be able to piece a squad together mid-season.
Speaking on ABC Pacific, Demetriou said: “I would love a game against England in an international break.
“I think the majority of our Kumuls side will be over in England, so I think that would be a great hit-out for both teams as preparation for the World Cup.”
Next year’s World Cup will take place Down Under, with games taking place across Australia and indeed Papua New Guinea.
Whether Shaun Wane remains in charge of England by the time the tournament comes around remains to be seen.
RFL boss Nigel Wood has refused to guarantee his job is safe on the back of this autumn’s Ashes whitewash defeat to the Kangaroos on home soil.
Demetriou added: “I’d have to get the (Kumuls) CEO on that, and speak to the officials in England. But the lack of quality games that the English are getting, I think it would be a good sell and it would be a good game too.
“I would love to get a mid-season game against those guys, but if not, it’ll be a two-week preparation leading into the first game of the World Cup.”
